Emergency Medical Services Grant Program

The Emergency Medical Services Grant Program, established in Montana in 2009, aims to enhance prehospital emergency medical services by providing competitive grants to certified emergency medical service providers. Funding can be used for acquiring ambulances, purchasing essential equipment, and supporting training and communication needs. This program addresses the challenges faced by rural providers and ensures that they can continue to deliver critical medical care, ultimately improving public safety and health outcomes in emergency situations.

Background
The Emergency Medical Services Grant Program was introduced in the 2009 Montana Legislature and signed into law. The Legislature found that the provision of care administered by professional paramedics and emergency medical technicians before the patient reaches the hospital – known as prehospital emergency medical services – is a critical component of Montana’s health care system. The availability of prehospital emergency medical services can improve the medical outcome for people suffering medical emergencies and may improve the safety of motorists on Montana roads by providing emergency response to vehicle crash sites.
Emergency medical service providers in many of Montana’s rural areas have difficulty in continuing service based on rural location and economic circumstances. The support of the Legislature has continued for this program with the 2013 Legislature passing HB262 making the program permanent.
Purpose
The purpose of this grant program is to provide competitive grants to emergency medical service providers for acquiring or leasing ambulances or emergency response vehicles; for purchasing equipment, other than routine medical supplies; or for any of the following purposes: training, communication, providing medical care to a patient.
Eligible Equipment
Eligible supplies consist of equipment that can be used for training, communication, or to provide medical care to a patient.
Training Equipment
Training equipment includes materials used to provide training to receive and maintain relevant EMS certifications. Training equipment may include, but is not limited to, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manikins, automated external defibrillator (AED) manikins and defibrillators, and DVD training kits.
Communication Equipment
Grants for communication equipment must be compliant with the interoperability definition that regulates public safety radio communication in Montana. This allows public safety emergency responders to work seamlessly with other communication systems. Eligible communication equipment would include portable radios and base units and vehicle radios, as defined in ARM 37.104.201.
Monitoring Equipment
Monitoring equipment includes, but is not limited to, an AED, cardiac monitor, endotracheal tube kit, chest tube pump and intraosseous kit, as found in an Advanced Life Support Kit (ARM 37.86.2601(6)(e));
Medical Patient Care Equipment
Eligible supplies would consist of reusable or one-time use, including but not limited to those items found in a Safety and Extrication Kit, (ARM 37.104.205), or a Transportation Equipment Kit -- supplies as defined in ARM 37.104.206.
Eligible Vehicles
Eligible ambulances, including aircraft or emergency response vehicles, for purchase or lease must be maintained and used for the sole purpose of responding to emergency medical calls and to transport patients, (MCA 61-2-502 (2)(a)(7)(a)).

Eligibility

Grant recipients are required to provide a ten percent match for any grant funds receivedEligible Emergency ProvidersAn emergency medical service provider must be a provider certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (MCA 50-6-306).Eligible emergency medical service providers for this grant are defined as being in operation for at least the 12 previous months (MCA 61-2-503(2) (a)). The provider must bill for services at a level at least equivalent to Medicare billing (2) (b) and the majority (51%) or greater of active emergency medical technicians must be volunteer emergency medical technicians (2) (c).  EMT’s receiving stipends or payments per call are classified as volunteer for this grant program.

Ineligibility

An emergency medical service provider is ineligible for grant funding if it is a private business or a public agency and employs the majority of its emergency medical technicians on a regular basis with a regular hourly wage.Routine or basic equipment such as disposable, single use, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are not eligible for funding.Pagers are ineligible for this program.